Category: news-perspectives

A long-running study from Canada has added to the debate about the value of screening mammograms. After 25 years, death rates were equal between groups that did and did not get regular mammograms. The study included nearly 90,000 women. Their ages ranged from 40 to 59 when the study began. They were randomly assigned to receive mammograms or not. Those who got the tests received a mammogram each year for 5 years. All of the women 50 and older also received annual breast exams by trained nurses. So did the women in their 40s who got mammograms. The younger no-mammogram group received a single exam at the start of the study. During the next 25 years, 3,250 women in the mammogram group and 3,133 in the no-mammogram group developed breast cancer. About 500 women in each group died of breast cancer. The journal BMJ published the study online. HealthDay News wrote about it February 11.

U.S. drug regulators are considering whether to dial back warnings about increased heart-attack risk for the pain reliever naproxen. But an advisory panel voted this week against the idea. Naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve and others) is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Others in this group include aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil and others) and the prescription drug celecoxib (Celebrex). They relieve pain and inflammation and reduce fevers. But in the last 10 years evidence has built up that these drugs also may increase the risk of heart attack. The drug labels carry warnings about this risk. But a research analysis published last year suggested there was a lower risk of heart problems with naproxen than with other NSAIDs. So the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it would consider a label change for naproxen.

Every day, 73% of children in the U.S. consume caffeine in some way. Soda remains the main culprit, even though its use dropped over a 10-year period. But use of coffee and energy drinks, like Monster and RedBull, shot up, especially among teens and young adults. So says a study in the journal Pediatrics. Researchers used data from the 1999-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They looked at trends in caffeine use by age (from 2-22), gender, race and ethnicity, as well as income level. Among the findings: Coffee drinking more than doubled. Boys drank more caffeine than girls. Kids in higher-income families were more likely to have caffeine than those in lower-income families. The study was published in Pediatrics online. HealthDay News reported on it Feb. 10.

Women face a higher lifetime risk of stroke than men. And they have unique health issues that can increase their risk of stroke. Recognizing all of this, experts have published the first set of stroke prevention guidelines for women. The new advice comes from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. Many of the same health conditions increase risk for both women and men. Both need to control blood pressure, cholesterol and weight. Both can decrease risk by avoiding smoking and diabetes. But the guidelines note that women’s risk of stroke also is affected by pregnancy and hormones. Women should pay attention to their blood pressure before deciding on birth control or getting pregnant, the guidelines say. Taking birth control pills can increase the risk of stroke, especially for women with high blood pressure.

People who have a variant gene and are exposed to certain pesticides may have a higher risk of Parkinson’s disease, a new study finds. Researchers tested a variety of pesticides. They found that several of them interfere with the function of an enzyme called ALDH. This enzyme helps to break down chemicals that kill brain cells involved in making dopamine. People with Parkinson’s disease have too little dopamine. Researchers asked about exposure to pesticides among people who were part of a study of Parkinson’s risk in 3 California farming counties. In all, 360 people had Parkinson’s and 816 people did not. Some people had a different (variant) version of a gene that provides instructions for making ALDH. Researchers looked at Parkinson’s rates in people exposed to the pesticides that interfere with ALDH.

Cancer doctors should ask about patients’ family medical history. But two generations are enough, new guidelines say. The American Society of Clinical Oncology released the guidelines. They say that doctors should ask about cancer among patients’ first- and second-degree relatives. But going back three generations — the old advice — is not necessary. A panel of experts based the changes on a review of evidence. They decided that information about more distant relatives is less likely to be correct. First-degree relatives include parents, children, brothers and sisters. Second-degree relatives include grandparents, aunts and uncles. Nieces, nephews, grandchildren and half-siblings also are considered second-degree. Doctors should ask the relative’s type of cancer, age when diagnosed and race or ethnic group, the guidelines say.

Even if your weight, cholesterol and blood pressure are normal, sugar added to food may increase your risk of heart-related death, a new study says. For a typical American, the added risk was nearly 20%. Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did the study. It was based on a major government health survey of all ages. Researchers compared death statistics related to heart disease and stroke for people with different levels of sugar consumption. Sugars included syrups and honey added to food as well as table sugar. For the years 2005 through 2010, the average person got 14.9% of calories from added sugars. Eating that amount of sugar increased heart-related death risk by 18%. And risk more than doubled for those who got one-quarter of calories from sugar. The study took into account other health factors known to contribute to heart problems.

Drug regulators will review the safety of testosterone treatments because of research suggesting that they may raise heart risk for some men. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the review January 31. Testosterone has been widely advertised as a potential treatment for low energy and sex drive, among other symptoms. But a study published January 29 found an increased risk of heart attack for men taking testosterone therapy. The risk was seen among men under age 65 with prior heart disease and older men with or without heart disease. Heart attack risk doubled in the 90 days after the men began treatment. The journal PLoS One published the study online. A study in 2010 also found a higher risk of heart problems in men taking testosterone. All were over 65. They were compared with men who received placebo treatments. The new study used a medical records database.

In a new study, about half of the children who were obese by age 14 were already overweight in kindergarten. The risk of teen obesity for those overweight 5-year-olds was about 4 times as high as for children of normal weight. The study included more than 7,700 children in kindergarten from across the United States. Their average age was about 5½ when the study began. Researchers measured the children’s weight and height 7 times between kindergarten and eighth grade (about age 14). When the study began, 12.4% were obese. Another 14.9% were overweight. Those figures rose to 20.8% obese and 17% overweight in eighth grade. About 5.4% of children became overweight during kindergarten and 1.7% each year from fifth through eighth grades. Researchers suggested that children who were at highest risk tended to become overweight and then obese early.

Women who have high levels of estrogen even after menopause may be more likely to develop dementia, a study finds. The risk is especially high for those who also have diabetes. In this study, their risk of diabetes was 14 times as high as for women who had lower estrogen and no diabetes. The study included 675 women who had passed menopause and did not take hormone replacement therapy. All were age 65 or older when the study began. Researchers kept track of the women for about 4 years. In that time, women were twice as likely to develop dementia if they had high estrogen levels. All of these comparisons accounted for other health factors that also can increase the risk of dementia. Women with diabetes had such a high risk in part because their estrogen levels were so high. Those with dementia had 70% higher estrogen levels than diabetic women without dementia.